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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Leo Szilard was eccentric in his career from inception .I would like to address in this post the Einstein Letter to FDR as instigated in part by Szilard. Also Jacob Bronowki's The Ascent of Man, "The Making of the Atomic Bomb". Also the Szilard Lecture on War.

The Einstein Letter contains prefatory comments and the body proper of the letter:

Einstein was troubled and ambivalent by his participation in the letter to FDR

This comprised a tragic paradox of fate for this avowed pacifist

He started the signal unleashing the most horrible weapons of destruction.

The scientific community in totum was aware of the possibilities of atomic energy.

These were actively discussed in American newspapers and magazines.

Scientists that fled Nazi persecution suspected their former collaborators would pursue the "development" of atomic weapons

Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner and Edward Teller would approach Einstein and ask him to communicate a sense of urgency to Roosevelt.The letter was delivered by Alexander Sachs but not until October 11,1939.

FDR's reply . He wrote einstein October 19th that he formed a committee consisting of Sachs and representatives from the Army and Navy to study uranium.

The president acted in the belief (Uranium Committee of 1939) that he could not risk allowing Hitler to achieve unilateral possession of "powerful bombs".

This was the first of many decisions leading to the Manhattan Project. (And the atomic bomb of WWII.)

The text of the actual letter begins August 2,1939 and alerts FR to the work of Fermi and Szilard and alludes to a manuscript communicated to him (Einstein)

The element uranium could be an important source of energy in the immediate future.

Certain situations call for watchfulness and quick action re: the following facts and situations.Through Joliot in France and Szilard and Fermi in America, that it may become possible to set up a nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium, by which vast amounts of power and large quantities of new radium-like elements would be generated. (Quote) A single bomb might destroy a port but be too heavy for air transport.

The US has poor uranium supply areas-Some good ore in Canada and the former Czechoslovakia. The richest source is the Belgian Congo.

Necessity for unofficial permanent contact that the government trusts, between administration and US physicists working on these chain reactions.

This liaison would maintain government contact, and secure ongoing funding beyond the modest university budgets., securing cooperation of industrial laboratories and private contributions

Germany has stopped the sale of uranium from the Czech mines. Her hasty action might be understood in the context that the son of the German under secretary of state von Weiznacker is attached to the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute where American work on Uranium is being repeated at present.

Einstein's Letter to Franklin D. RooseveltManhattan ProjectHistory The Early Years (1900 - 1939)"I really only acted as a mail box.They (Szilard, et al) brought me a finished letter and I simply signed it" -Albert Einsteinin a apology to his biographer Antonina Vallentin.Inlater years, those close to Einstein would report that he was very troubled byhis participation. In a tragic paradox offate, he, a vowed pacifist, gavethe starting signal for the most horrible of weapons ofdestruction.Webmaster's Note: Keeping in mind what you have learned thusfar, it is important to realize that not only was thescientific community asa whole acutely aware of the possibilities of atomic energy, it was alsoactively discussed inAmerican magazines and newspapers. In addition, thescientists that had fled Nazi persecution were worried that theirformerscientific collaborators would actively pursue the possibility of atomicweapons. This led Leo Szilard, with theassistance of Eugene Wigner andEdward Teller, to approach is friend, Albert Einstein, and encourage himtocommunicate a "sense of urgency" to President Roosevelt.AlexanderSachs, a friend and unofficial advisor to Roosevelt, was tapped to carryEinsteins' letter. However, for a varietyof reasons, Sachs was not able tomeet with F.D.R. and deliver the letter until October 11, 1939Rooseveltwrote Einstein back on October 19th and informed him that he had set up acommittee consisting of Sachsand representatives from the Army and Navy tostudy uranium. Events ultimately proved that the President was a manofconsiderable action once a course of action was chosen. In fact,Roosevelt's approval of the Uranium Committee inOctober of 1939, based onhis belief that the United States could not take the risk of allowing Hitler toachieve unilateralpossession of "extremely powerful bombs,"was merely thefirst decision among many that ultimately led to theestablishment of theonly atomic bomb effort that succeeded in World War II - the ManhattanProject.

T E X T O F T H E L E T T E R

August 2, 1939Albert EinsteinOld Grove Rd.NassauPointPaconic, Long Island, NYF. D. RooseveltPresident of the UnitedStatesWhite HouseWashington, DCSir:Some recent work by E. Fermiand L. Szilard, which has been communicated to me in a manuscript, leads me toexpectthat the element uranium may be turned into a new and important sourceof energy in the immediate future. Certainaspects of the situation which hasarisen seem to call for watchfulness and, if necessary, quick action on the partof theAdministration. I believe therefore that it is my duty to bring toyour attention the following facts and recommendations.In the course of thelast four months it has been made probable - through the work of Joliot inFrance as well as Fermiand Szilard in America - that it may become possibleto set up a nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium, bywhich vastamounts of power and large quantities of new radium-like elements would begenerated. Now it appearsalmost certain that this could be achieved in theimmediate future.This new phenomenon would also lead to the construction ofbombs, and it is conceivable - though much less certain -that extremelypowerful bombs of a new type, may thus be constructed. A single bomb of thistype, carried by boat andexploded in a port, might very well destroy thewhole port together with some of the surrounding territory. However,suchbombs might very well prove to be too heavy for transportation byair.Page 2...The United States has only very poor areas of uranium inmoderate quantities. There is some good ore in Canada andthe formerCzechoslovakia, while the most important source of uranium is the BelgianCongo.In view of this situation you may think it desirable to have somepermanent contact maintained between theAdministration and the group ofphysicists working on chain reactions in America. One possible way of achievingthisThe Atomic Heritage Foundationhttp://www.mphpa.org Powered byJoomla! Generated: 28 May, 2009, 20:18might be for you to entrust with thistask a person who has your confidence and who could perhaps serve in anunofficialcapacity.His task might comprise the following:a) to approachGovernment Departments, keep them informed of the further development, and putforwardrecommendations for Government action, giving particular attention tothe problem of securing a supply of uranium orefor the United States.b)to speed up the experimental work, which is at present being carried on withinthe limits of the budgets of Universitylaboratories, by providing funds, ifsuch funds be required,through his contacts with private persons who arewilling tomake contributions for this cause, and perhaps also by obtainingthe co-operation of industrial laboratories which havethe necessaryequipment.I understand that Germany has actually stopped the sale of uraniumfrom the Czechoslovakian mines which she hastaken over. That she should havetaken such hasty action might perhaps be understood on the ground that the sonof theGerman Under-Secretary of State, von Weiznacker, is attached to theKaiser-Wilhelm Institute in Berlin where some ofthe American work on uraniumis now being repeated.Yours very truly,(Albert Einstein)The AtomicHeritage Foundationhttp://